After a very good night’s rest, I joined Dave and Regina to take Claire to work in downtown Austin. Regina had found Walton’s Fancy and Staple restaurant and wanted to try it for breakfast. We parked and walked the few blocks to the restaurant. Good coffee, good food, good company!
We then walked to the state capitol building at my suggestion. I like to visit these buildings whenever I get a chance, mostly to marvel at the workmanship and designs (Ionic, Corinthian, or Doric columns? Oak carvings? Marble or terrazzo floors? etc., etc.,). Dave and Regina humored me as they had never been to the building either. Once we found a way in, we walked through and did our marvelling at the ornate Oak carved doors, and the dome which I later found out was metal made to look like stone. Fakery in the very halls of government! And, despite Texas being open carry, there ain’t no such privilege in the capitol building. We had to empty our pockets and pass through metal detectors to get to the rotunda.
Our capitol curiosities filled, we went back to Claire’s house. Dave and Regina went to the grocery store and I worked on my blog a bit. When they returned we took Claire’s dog Brampton on a walk around the neighborhood. Many of the small ranch houses of the 50s and 60s are being bought and demolished and 2, 3, and even 4 unit apartments posing as single family homes are being built in their place. Quite rampant through the area, but a good percentage of the homes are originals.
Regina had pointed out to me that the shrubbery and Agave plants that used to decorate Claire’s entryway were killed in the ice storm of 2021. In need of a little time on the bike, I went to a garden center nearby and bought Claire a very belated housewarming/thank you present: a Mangave — a mix between Manfredas and Agaves which according to the center’s clerk, does well in pots and grows faster than a Agave. My hope was that she can either plant it outside or keep it in a pot to take with her when she moves.
Dave grilled pork steaks and Regina made roasted asparagus and potatoes and we enjoyed a nice meal together, watched some TV, and went to bed. Just like home!
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